EU: European Council

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My right honourable friend, the Prime Minister (Gordon Brown) has made the following Statement in the House of Commons.
	I attended an informal meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 1 March with other EU leaders.
	We discussed the EU's continued response to the economic downturn and measures that will be part of the agenda for the G20 London summit on 2 April. Leaders agreed on the need for co-ordinated action to meet unprecedented economic times and restore confidence in the global financial markets.
	First, EU leaders agreed to improve regulation and supervision of financial institutions. We need new regulatory standards, improved risk management and systems to foresee, prevent and manage crises in the banks and in the markets. There should be no financial market in the world where risks can be run that threaten the very integrity of the global financial system. We will need cross-border supervision of financial institutions.
	Secondly, the whole world must agree that protectionism is not the answer to the crisis. EU leaders therefore agreed in Brussels on the need to reject protectionism while continuing to make maximum use of the single market as the vehicle for recovery to support growth and jobs. We agreed that the European recovery programme, finalised last December, continued to provide the right framework for EU action to help jobs and growth, and agreed we should assess the implementation of it both at the European and national levels at the spring European Council on 19 and 20 March.
	Thirdly, we agreed that the EU must continue to play its part in stimulating the global economy with a co-ordinated fiscal stimulus and European-wide action to keep interest rates low. Europe's recovery plan must have high skilled, high technology and low carbon priorities at its heart.
	Fourthly, we again agreed on the need to deliver urgent and substantial reform of the international financial institutions. We need more resources for the international financial institutions to prevent and deal with financial crises in different countries. We agreed on the need for early warning systems and reform of the World Bank.
	On employment, EU leaders agreed on the importance of measures to counter the negative impact the economic crisis was having on employment. I welcome Prime Minister Topolanek's decision to convene a special European summit in May to focus on concrete measures to address the social and employment impact of the crisis.
	We discussed the particular impact of the global financial crisis on central and eastern Europe. We acknowledged the clear differences between member states in the region, but noted the longer-term benefits to those countries of EU integration. We agreed and welcomed the importance of EIB finance to the region and welcomed the recent announcement by the EIB, World Bank, and EBRD of a €25 billion joint initiative to support the banking sectors and businesses in the region. We agreed to keep assistance provided to those countries under review.

Firearms

Lord West of Spithead: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Crime Reduction (Alan Campbell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I have today published a consultation paper, Controls on Deactivated Firearms, which seeks views on how to reduce the use of deactivated firearms in crime.
	The Government do not want to interfere with the legitimate collection of deactivated firearms and are looking for a proportionate but effective response to the problem. The consultation paper sets out a range of possible options for reducing the availability of deactivated firearms to criminals.
	Copies of the consultation paper are available in the House Library and on the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk. We should be glad to receive views by 25 May.

Firearms: Statistics

Lord West of Spithead: My honourable friend the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Security (Vernon Coaker) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The latest figures from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 show that the number of police operations in which firearms were authorised was 21,181—an increase of 17.5 per cent on the previous year.
	The number of authorised firearms officers (AFO's) was 6,780—an increase of 52 (1 per cent) officers overall on the previous year. The number of operations involving armed response vehicles was 16,712—an increase of 2,197 (15 per cent) on the previous year.
	The police discharged a conventional firearm in seven incidents (up from three incidents in the previous year).
	Full details are set out in the tables below:
	
		
			 Number of operations in which firearms were authorised 
			  2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 
			 Total 13,991 14,827 16,657 15,981 18,891 18,032 21,181 
			 Avon & Somerset 195 262 311 333 247 285 328 
			 Bedfordshire 237 301 442 475 575 663* 1217 
			 Cambridgeshire 114 57 104 241 201 207 316 
			 Cheshire 419 451 397 358 367 340 317 
			 Cleveland 37 170 453 530 657 293 577 
			 City of London 40 131 364 404 323 239 365 
			 Cumbria 71 77 72 152 112 92 92 
			 Derbyshire 275 401 369 287 305 223 211 
			 Devon & Cornwall 101 96 112 71 84 80 143 
			 Dorset 184 193 231 223 263 354 258 
			 Durham 89 83 156 144 291 340 206 
			 Essex 323 312 275 296 432 245 529 
			 Gloucestershire 165 185 127 176 229 280 162 
			 Gtr Manchester 580 518 507 461 478 481 497 
			 Hampshire 198 162 208 237 289 352 382 
			 Hertfordshire 112 172 195 185 187 280 303 
			 Humberside 297 187 183 206 362 235 209 
			 Kent 115 137 207 163 219 170 202 
			 Lancashire 232 238 318 241 240 410 388 
			 Leicestershire 300 268 295 260 363 334 318 
			 Lincolnshire 477 392 386 294 220 157 158 
			 Merseyside 1,020 628 751 733 669 727 829 
			 Metropolitan 2,447 3,199 3,563 2,964 4,711 3,878 4,948 
			 Norfolk 175 200 178 195 175 153 174 
			 Northamptonshire 43 138 148 158 137 156 159 
			 Northumbria 1,440 1,275 1,140 977 611 332 229 
			 North Yorkshire 92 100 147 185 183 282 329 
			 Nottinghamshire 384 452 459 408 394 289 270 
			 South Yorkshire 258 463 484 546 749 737 628 
			 Staffordshire 232 281 255 216 171 250 244 
			 Suffolk 163 270 251 153 202 256 193 
			 Surrey 245 247 203 151 222 222 375 
			 Sussex 248 204 280 187 190 201 331 
			 Thames Valley 179 167 195 289 427 264 293 
			 Warwickshire 130 149 164 124 180 162 150 
			 West Mercia 117 91 197 162 122 155 202 
			 West Midlands 822 902 1,377 1,264 1,044 1,557 2,350 
			 West Yorkshire 757 604 575 853 1,335 1272 1,130 
			 Wiltshire 45 58 63 88 139 226 128 
			 Dyfed Powys 28 29 28 51 63 72 155 
			 Gwent 20 37 40 81 94 133 334 
			 North Wales 302 259 197 223 350 340 259 
			 South Wales 283 281 250 236 279 308 293 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOS) 
			  2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 
			 Total 5,776 5,763 6,096 6,243 6,584 6,728 6,780 
			 Avon & Somerset 116 84 122 118 117 103 123 
			 Bedfordshire 48 53 58 56 59 57 53 
			 Cambridgeshire 56 71 60 60 50 46 49 
			 Cheshire 81 89 75 76 73 80 72 
			 Cleveland 85 80 95 100 100 105 97 
			 City of London 73 72 86 89 86 45 49 
			 Cumbria 92 87 89 90 89 90 97 
			 Derbyshire 80 69 70 74 75 69 61 
			 Devon & Cornwall 108 115 132 123 122 132 142 
			 Dorset 57 59 60 64 62 67 71 
			 Durham 86 102 97 103 100 102 89 
			 Essex 180 184 186 202 205 220 225 
			 Gloucestershire 71 80 82 93 92 94 95 
			 Gtr Manchester 219 202 205 187 245 217 250 
			 Hampshire 87 94 94 92 97 83 85 
			 Hertfordshire 46 47 50 53 52 49 53 
			 Humberside 96 96 96 101 92 83 87 
			 Kent 113 93 90 94 94 98 87 
			 Lancashire 138 129 122 115 123 103 143 
			 Leicestershire 69 68 51 53 59 67 64 
			 Lincolnshire 91 87 78 86 87 75 77 
			 Merseyside 78 84 94 93 129 139 153 
			 Metropolitan 1,805 1,823 2,060 2,134 2,331 2,584 2,530 
			 Norfolk 104 109 114 125 119 127 114 
			 Northamptonshire 51 56 52 50 56 59 53 
			 Northumbria 125 99 90 93 98 92 96 
			 North Yorkshire 66 64 60 56 78 67 67 
			 Nottinghamshire 136 131 138 138 149 146 137 
			 South Yorkshire 92 100 98 122 116 118 106 
			 Staffordshire 71 63 67 76 70 82 82 
			 Suffolk 90 80 96 88 84 78 74 
			 Surrey 62 48 53 49 51 45 54 
			 Sussex 120 141 134 130 129 129 123 
			 Thames valley 156 180 172 176 180 186 180 
			 Warwickshire 50 51 46 53 55 59 63 
			 West Mercia 125 131 139 141 152 133 163 
			 West Midlands 111 110 124 134 145 175 177 
			 West Yorkshire 116 132 140 130 150 148 147 
			 Wiltshire 71 78 80 74 72 69 67 
			 Dyfed Powys 77 62 58 79 68 72 67 
			 Gwent 57 60 71 74 86 64 63 
			 North Wales 83 75 73 65 57 56 57 
			 South Wales 138 125 139 134 130 115 138 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of operations involving armed response vehicles (ARVS) 
			  2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 
			 Total 11,574 11,848 13,218 13,137 14,355 14,515 16,712 
			 Avon & Somerset 173 215 249 312 167 192 292 
			 Bedfordshire 172 269 414 419 534 639* 1,171 
			 Cambridgeshire 43 45 155 172 160 172 221 
			 Cheshire 523 337 356 773 807 793 642 
			 Cleveland 13 63 86 154 285 290 554 
			 City of London 39 131 364 275 234 183 200 
			 Cumbria 53 45 65 134 90 72 74 
			 Derbyshire 253 363 312 254 257 183 187 
			 Devon & Cornwall 76 32 94 54 54 76 120 
			 Dorset 182 180 215 195 246 322 238 
			 Durham 57 66 96 91 256 204 192 
			 Essex 165 176 138 138 155 224 226 
			 Gloucestershire 140 166 109 121 145 213 147 
			 Gtr Manchester 528 406 440 364 306 214 196 
			 Hampshire 116 108 128 167 178 270 271 
			 Hertfordshire 81 129 157 155 160 226 262 
			 Humberside 273 170 158 184 335 232 183 
			 Kent 89 132 193 124 183 373 364 
			 Lancashire 192 185 273 228 232 383 313 
			 Leicestershire 292 232 269 232 328 313 268 
			 Lincolnshire 470 367 355 276 210 147 153 
			 Merseyside 974 547 687 677 611 644 734 
			 Metropolitan 1,667 2,447 2,423 2,322 2,572 2,770 2,303 
			 Norfolk 157 186 169 163 149 133 165 
			 Northamptonshire 25 90 99 89 101 119 127 
			 Northumbria 1,349 1,204 1,063 893 585 299 199 
			 North Yorkshire 60 67 110 144 208 268 318 
			 Nottinghamshire 333 397 404 336 342 256 246 
			 South Yorkshire 221 280 322 438 632 522 493 
			 Staffordshire 208 241 212 183 154 222 231 
			 Suffolk 116 160 194 119 149 204 148 
			 Surrey 225 240 190 140 204 209 380 
			 Sussex 189 171 250 163 162 165 311 
			 Thames Valley 174 167 179 265 355 227 254 
			 Warwickshire 104 31 138 102 144 121 113 
			 West Mercia 100 111 241 152 94 120 121 
			 West Midlands 563 592 975 952 745 518 2,003 
			 West Yorkshire 609 565 543 656 1,040 1,048 1,098 
			 Wiltshire 43 39 28 54 124 190 359 
			 Dyfed Powys 28 29 28 48 55 72 135 
			 Gwent 16 16 23 74 85 109 257 
			 North Wales 265 198 153 180 299 295 221 
			 South Wales 218 253 161 165 223 283 222 
		
	
	Notes
	i) Source: Home Office Public Order Unit, based on information aggregated from figures provided by individual police forces as part of the Home Office Annual Data Requirement. This was followed by a further quality assurance process involving the Home Office asking individual forces to verify and sign off their figures.
	ii) * indicates revised figures for 2006-07 from Bedfordshire Police.
	iii) The information provided is a regular annual update of figures previously published (Official Report, 31 January 2008, col. WS49), and on the Home Office website.
	iv) Home Office guidance to forces for providing these figures is contained within the booklet Annual Data Requirement, Police Personnel and Performance Data, Notes for Guidance. For the purpose of this statistical return AFOs are deemed to be deployed when "they are required to conduct a specific task during which their possession of a firearm (with appropriate authorisation) is a required element" (Chapter 3, paragraph 3.1 ACPO Manual of Guidance).
	v) In addition to the total number of operations, a further sub-category is required regarding those operations where the initial or sole response is by armed response vehicle (ARV).
	vi) Each incident will be classed as only one operation regardless of the number of personnel/deployments or tactics employed to deal with the incident.
	vii) Deployments also include those incidents where AFOs "self-authorise".
	viii) The number of officers authorised to use firearms as at 31 March 2008.
	
		
			 Number of Incidents where Conventional Firearms were Used
			 Year 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 
			 Incidents 11 10 4 5 9 3 7 
			 % of Incidents Compared with Number of Authorised Operations 0.079 0.067 0.024 0.031 0.048 0.017 0.033 
		
	
	Notes:
	i) Information on number of incidents provided by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)